Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

The Joy in Riding with Others

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BMW K75 and KTM390 Adventure motorcycle stopped along a forest road.
On this ride, my BMW K75 and Paul’s KTM390 were called up for action. There’s always coffee.

Coffee and Photographs

It usually begins with a text message or phone call — “Interested in a ride to Inglebean?”

Most of the time, because of conflicts in schedule or circumstance, the answer is no. I assume the day will come when Paul will quit asking the question due to frustration or deciding I just don’t want to ride with him. The truth is, every time he asks if I want to go for a ride my instant, a pre-cognition response is “Yes!” Part of it is that any excuse to ride is welcome, and part being I enjoy riding with him.

There is a joy in riding with others that takes some time for me to describe. Looking back at a ride we did back in the fair weather of early June provides an opportunity to explore the experience.

We stop a lot so I can make photographs. Paul takes the opportunity to sip coffee or espresso he brews at home. There is little talking.

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Summer Intuition and Vespa Riding

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Vespa GTS scooter parked in a driveway
Morning view of the magnificent Vespa GTS scooter.

Vespa Riding


Mornings are the quiet landscape on which my mind wanders the concerns of the day. Looking into the tops of our 70-foot tall fir trees I can see more dying from a blight that slowly kills off the needles leaving stands of naked trees that must be removed. In the past two years, I’ve spent enough removing trees to buy two brand new Vespa GTS scooter. The next two years promise the same.

Sitting in the garden while the dogs play, before departing for a ride on the Vespa, I’m feeling the grip of the heat on body and spirit. That grip is more restrictive than the pandemic which is quite simple to manage in comparison through social distancing, wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, and washing my hands. But heat is different. It drains me physically which in turn drains my psychological energy which leads to doing nothing.

I’ve relied on Vespa riding to infuse me with energy. But I confess a growing reluctance to venture out when the forecast promises temperatures approaching 90F and beyond.

Still, the Vespa in the morning light is enough to get me moving. I’ve made this same picture dozens of times, a visual notation of the beginning of another adventure.

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Riding in the New Normal World

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Motorcycle and Vespa parked along a rural road.
My friend Paul and I riding in the new normal world.

Social Distancing with Motorcycles and Scooters


Every day I wake to what appears to be another regular, familiar, normal day. This morning the sun was shining in a dazzling clear blue sky. A runner passes in front of the house followed by a bicycle rider and then a man walking a dog. There are clues that something is different but unless I’m looking for them, nothing would hint to me that I’m living in a different world. A world that suggests I act a little differently too.

That brings me to riding. Two days after Pennsylvania’s “Stay at Home” order ended my friend Paul and I decided we would take a little ride together. That’s normal. But we did make a few changes. Like when stopping for photos we now park a little farther away from each other.

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The Paul Ruby Show

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Photographer Paul Ruby at the Art Alliance Gallery DowntownPaul Ruby, Photographer, Rider, eBay Entrepreneur

While it may be a shock to my friend Paul Ruby, I’m not surprised he’s managed to pull together a photography exhibition of photographs he’s made of his significant other, Mary Margaret. The show opens tomorrow, Friday, March 2, with an opening reception from 5-8pm at the Art Alliance Gallery Downtown in State College, Pennsylvania.Continue Reading

Outlaw Riders

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scooter and motorcycle along a rural roadLong Shadows of Morning

Dazzling light and crisp mornings are a perfect way to start a ride. With the air temperature hovering in the low 40s (Fahrenheit), my friend Paul and I set out to find breakfast. Him on his 2016 BMW R1200 RT and me on the Vespa — an odd pairing only if you’re concerned with the optics or the BMW rider wants to greatly exceed the speed limit. I suspect there are other things that would suggest a problem.

We departed Boalsburg, Pennsylvania with a goal in mind — breakfast at the Spruce Creek Bakery in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania. Downhill a dizzying 344 feet in elevation. I made a note to be on the lookout for altitude sickness on the way home. And for Marine One in case President Trump, like Jimmy Carter before him, decided to visit Spruce Creek to fish for trout.

It’s a serious ride.Continue Reading